The availability schedule is the cornerstone of Appointlet’s functionality, allowing you to define the dates and times you’d like to be available for booking. It’s important to configure a schedule that suits your specific needs, so we’ve outlined a few different setup options in this guide. Whether you need to build a consistent repeating schedule, irregular hours, or make exceptions to either of the two, Appointlet offers the tools to display your schedule precisely as you need.
Set up a repeating schedule
By default, Appointlet displays availability on a repeating weekly basis. This means that any weekday/weekend availability you configure will repeat indefinitely. This is a great set-and-forget strategy if you work regular hours each week.
In the Availability tab of your meeting type editor, your schedule will automatically be assigned to the Repeats Weekly template. This allows you to set your regular hours on any weekday, and this schedule will repeat in the same manner each week.
Above is the default 9:00AM - 5:00PM Mon - Fri schedule Appointlet assigns to your meeting type. See the following instructions to edit your schedule:
Change start and end times: Click directly on any of the time slot boxes to select a new start or end time from the dropdown menu.
Remove a time slot: Click the small “x” to the right of a time slot to remove it.
Add a time slot: Click the plus sign (”+”) to the right of a time slot or an unavailable day to add a new time slot. You’re welcome to add more than one time slot to any day. This is helpful if you have a consistent lunch break or commute when you don’t want to be booked.
Copy time slots between days: Click the copy icon (two squares) to the far right to copy a time slot from one day to any of the others in your schedule. This will expose a dropdown menu where you can check off the days you’d like to copy your schedule to. Be sure to press “Apply” to save your changes.
Set up a non-repeating schedule
By default, Appointlet displays availability on a repeating weekly basis. This means that any weekday/weekend availability you configure will repeat indefinitely. However, Appointlet’s date range availability tool gives you more granular control over your schedule and is a great way to:
Set up availability for specific dates
Make exceptions to your standard schedule
Block out specific dates
We’ll discuss each of these strategies below.
Set up availability for specific dates
The date range tool allows you to establish a start and end for a particular span of dates. This is helpful if you need to set up a seasonal schedule, offer time slots for an event, or if you work irregular hours.
Select Date Range above the availability schedule and click twice on your desired start date.
Note: Clicking twice is important because this clears the default 1-week date range that is selected by default when you first open the calendar view.
Next, select the desired end date. If you need to extend your fixed schedule into a later month, use the arrows at the top of the calendar view to move progressively through the calendar year.
If you only need to set up a single date, simply click twice on the date in question without selecting another.
Your selected date range will be highlighted in blue. Click Apply to save your date range.
You’ll notice that the weekdays on the left-hand side of the availability schedule now include the specific dates they correspond to. This is because your schedule will no longer repeat indefinitely, so each date will need to be configured uniquely.
All selected dates will be marked Unavailable by default, so you’ll need to manually add time slots to them.
Make exceptions to your standard schedule
If you have a standard schedule but need to make an exception, you can use the date range tool to customize a portion of your availability. This comes in handy if you need to add seasonal hours, or if you’ll be working from a different location for a while.
In this example, we’re using a repeating 9:00AM - 5:00PM Mon - Fri schedule as our standard availability. To ensure your normal schedule stays intact, select Add Another Schedule below it.
A new window will appear where you can give your additional schedule a name and customize your time slots, just as you would while using the standard schedule. Select your date range, click Apply, customize your time slots, and click Save Changes at the bottom of the modal to finalize this new schedule.
Now you’ll see two schedules in the Availability menu. Keep in mind that the bottom schedule will always take priority and overrides the schedule(s) above. This means that any overlapping dates in the bottom schedule will replace those of the other(s).
Block out specific dates
Additional availability schedules may also be used to block out your availability at dates and times when you don’t want to receive bookings. This can also be done by creating conflicting busy events in your connected calendar account, but the method outlined in this guide is helpful for those who would prefer to go without a calendar integration.
To block out specific dates and times, begin by creating an additional availability schedule.
Hint: Give this schedule a custom name to remind yourself that it is meant to block specific dates and time.
Select either a range of dates to block or double click on a specific date to block only that one. To ensure that the selected time slots block out your primary schedule, be sure to leave them marked “Unavailable.” Click Apply to save the dates you’ve selected, and then click Save Changes at the bottom of the modal to finalize this new schedule.
Drag this new schedule to the bottom of the list in the Availability tab to give it priority. Doing this will cause it to block out any overlapping time slots on your primary schedule while the others will remain available as configured.